Jewish networking group teaches professional development -- Career Center Blog

April 13, 2010

Jewish networking group teaches professional development

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By Randy Woods
NWjobs

When times are tough, it's natural for people to band together into groups with a common purpose. Most of these networking groups have been formed around certain professions, neighborhoods and age ranges. Ben Meyerhoff, a former sales executive, has taken a slightly different tack on this networking trend.

When he was laid off in June 2008, after a steady career that included lengthy stints at IBM and IT outsourcing firm CompuCom, Meyerhoff found himself nearing retirement age and stuck in a job market that he didn't recognize. "I was traveling a lot in my job and worked with many people outside the area, so I wasn't well networked," he says.

He tried joining job-search groups and did as much networking as he could among his peers, but, like many people in the fall of 2008, he found mostly dead ends. Looking for other areas outside the usual networking circles, Meyerhoff, who is Jewish, contacted his synagogue and local Jewish organizations to see if they were hosting job-seeking groups for his community.

"I asked and they all said 'no, but good luck,'" Meyerhoff recalls. "I thought why isn't someone from one of the Jewish groups doing something to help people find jobs?"

From this spark of inspiration, Meyerhoff decided he would have to answer his own question. In October 2008, he created the Greater Seattle Jewish Business Network (GSJBN) on Linked In with a few like-minded colleagues. Today, the group's ranks have swollen to more than 730 members, who share expertise and job-seeking advice online and meet at networking events. According to the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, which co-hosts the events, GSJBN is now the "largest group of its kind" on Linked In.

This Thursday, April 15, the GSJBN will hold its first networking event of the year, a lecture by Noah Alper, founder of the successful Noah's New York Bagels franchise, who will discuss entrepreneurism and the incorporation of Jewish values into your career. (Where: Stroum Jewish Community Center, Mercer Island. When: 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Cost: $15 for general admission; $5 for GSJBN members.)

At first, GSJBN would hold meetings twice a month and get wildly fluctuating turnouts, from just a few diehards to up to 25 people at once. At each event, Meyerhoff would feature a speaker on various job-search topics, such as media skills training expert Lorraine Howell on making the perfect "elevator speech," or social media expert Warren Sukernek about using Twitter to find new job leads instantly.

Through 2009, Meyerhoff estimated that 160 different people attended the regular meetings. He says he knows of at least a half-dozen or so members who landed new jobs since the group began, but he says he never kept close track of such statistics.

"I found that, as this large body of unemployed people grows, it's clear to see that they already have acquired a lot of job skills," Meyerhoff says. "What they really need now is help with professional development." As a result, today, in addition to managing GSJBN, Meyerhoff volunteers his time as business counselor at Seattle SCORE, a nonprofit group that provides advice and mentorship to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

As GSJBN has evolved into a vibrant community that participates mostly online, the regular meetings have been pared back from twice-a-month get-togethers to quarterly events, which tend to attract a larger turnout. Stay tuned to the Jewish Federation's events page for future updates on other upcoming GSJBN meetings later this year.

Randy Woods writes about job-search tools, networking techniques and other tips to help you land your dream job.